View From The Bridge

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
2/25/15

VETERANS PHOTO PROJECT
Please leave your photos with biographies at the Joel Overholser Research Center located in the Ag Center or contact me at 622-3217. The Ag Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and is covered by Diane and Pam. The Research Center is open on all day Tuesdays from 10: a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Please do not leave the photos at the Sunrise Bluffs. Yes, the Bluffs display the photos, a guest book, and the bio notebooks. Karla Ayers, the manager of the Sunrise Bluffs, was gracious enough to arrange to have the display on the walls there. When the photos are left there, she has to, in turn, get the photos to me. The photos and bios are put into the computer by Ken Robison to forever go somewhere into cyber-space. They cannot be framed, (in a 5 x 7 size,) and hung by Karla.

The next step is to type the bios to be placed in the notebooks alphabetically. All of this requires some time and I am way behind in getting caught up with about a dozen pictures waiting to be processed. There is also a notebook for corrections to be made on the gold labels that are on each picture and corrections to the bios. I was away for a long period of time from the Center and when I returned last September, I found that I had other projects to complete.

Another disappointment was B.J. Conn McIntosh moved back to Oregon. She actually knew more about the records than I do. She kept those records on her Mac computer and it was a difficult job to transfer them to my computer. She worked with Ken Robison to enlarge/shrink photos into the computer at the Research Center, worked with Pam for the gold labels, and putting up the photos at the Sunrise Bluffs where she lived. She is returning to Fort Benton perhaps in May and hopefully has time to get this project on the road again.

I have all the corrections to photos and bios in a Photo Project notebook and trust me that I have not forgotten about them. It is a project that is near and dear to my heart. I appreciate your patience and cooperation. God bless our Troops.

FORT BENTON WEBSITE
It is a wealth of information including the weather (that I now refuse to talk about.) If you have family or friends that are coming to visit, refer them to fortbenton.com. It tells you everything you wanted to know about Fort Benton. The photos are so enticing to those who have never been here and familiar to those of us who live here.

In about three months the Museums, the Old Fort, and the Visitors Information Center will be open.  If you have not visited the above, just do it. The youngsters just love it and what a history lesson they will have. I have repeated several Indian sayings and I do not know where they came from. “If you do not know where you came from, you cannot know where you are going” and “A people without a history, is like the wind in the buffalo grass.” Those are something to contemplate.

MRMC MEETING
I was not able to count the attendance but it doubled and there was a wealth of information from the architect and the rep from Bear Paw Development. I am sure that Bethany, our super woman reporter who is here, there, and everywhere, will give you a much more complete report of the meeting. I was just more interested in how many were in attendance. (I was unable to connect with Michelle at Bear Paw Development today, (Monday,) and the report on attendance will have to wait until next week.)

This Public Hearing meeting was the second and last of the public meetings. A report was given on the time frame of the first phase. That would be the clinic building. It will take time to get the grants, move the old rectory, and begin the building of the clinic. After the meeting I asked Michelle, from Bear Paw, if they could hurry it up a bit so that I could see the end results.

Handwritten letters in support of these plans are most welcome. Those that feel that no one can read their writing can certainly type a letter. I asked Michelle if one letter could be written from an organization and those in the organization sign it. She said that would work well, the important thing is to write the letters a.s.a.p., and take them to the Commissioner’s office in the Court House.  JUST DO IT.

EVENTS
When you read this, the month of February will be almost over and it will only be a few weeks until spring. It will be time for “Cleanup and Spruce-Up.” (I would like to see an American Flag on every home.)

We are so fortunate to have our very hard working Recycle Committee. How they could keep going on those cold Saturdays is beyond me? I am anxiously waiting for the spring clean-up days. I think junk multiplies in the dark. If you have not used it in a year, recycle it or dump it. I know that is difficult for those of us from the old school of depression days.  We were taught to use everything and if not immediately…then save it. It gets to a point that there isn’t any more room. So give it up and you will find it does not hurt too much.  (I think we are called hoarders or junk collectors.)

I love one of the rules one of my son’s has. When you bring something home through the front door, something has to go out the back door. I like that attitude.

I am cheered by the fact that it does not start getting dark until about 6:00 p.m. when the sun shines. What a wonderful time of year.  Enjoy!

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, and WEAR TED ON FRIDAYS.